FIC: Phoenix Rising, Part 19 of 37

[geri_chan]

Title: Phoenix Rising, Part 19 of 37
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~9,870
Warning: AU; my own version of Year 6 (was written pre-HBP).
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn
Summary: Draco and Theodore also have a family reunion--a very unpleasant one for Theodore, but it gives Snape a chance to win his trust.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18

***

While Snape, Lupin, and Dylan were on their excursion to Diagon Alley, most of the other students went to Hogsmeade, except for the glum few whose parents had revoked their permission, due to the recent escape of the Death Eaters from Azkaban. Serafina Avery had permission to go to Hogsmeade, but chose to stay behind at school as she usually did.

"Crazy girl," said Damien, shaking his head.

Theodore shrugged. "She'll probably spend the whole day in the library. That's all she really cares about, anyway, is books. It's not like she's interested in buying magic tricks at Zonko's."

"But who could pass up a chance to go to Honeydukes?" Damien wondered out loud, then grinned. "Plus it's a prime opportunity to do a little flirting."

"She definitely doesn't care about that!" Theodore said dryly.

As an added precaution, due to safety concerns expressed by the parents, three of the teachers--Hagrid, McGonagall, and Flitwick--accompanied the students as chaperones. They split up into three groups; the Slytherins and half of the Ravenclaws found themselves with Hagrid as an escort.

"So where to first?" Hagrid asked cheerfully. "Honeydukes?"

The Ravenclaws responded enthusiastically. The Slytherins remained silent, looking to Draco, as if waiting to follow his lead. He sneered a little, but made no objection, and the group headed to the candy store. Draco loaded up on candy for himself, and even remembered his promise to pick up something for Dylan. He bought a big box of fudge and handed it to Damien.

"Here," he said carelessly. "Give this to Rosier."

"Uh, thanks," Damien said, a little surprised that Malfoy had actually followed through on his promise. "I'm sure Dylan will appreciate it."

After Honeydukes, they stopped at Zonko's, then headed to The Three Broomsticks, although Hagrid cast a wistful glance in the direction of The Hog's Head. "Just the sort of low-class place someone like him would patronize," Draco sneered.

However, despite the insults he muttered behind Hagrid's back, Draco still seemed to be in a good mood--he had been ever since the prison break. The odd result was that he was behaving almost nicely to people, if in a rather high-handed and patronizing way. As if granting them a great boon, Draco invited Damien and Blaise to sit with him and his in-crowd: Crabbe, Goyle, Theodore, Pansy Parkinson, and Millicent Bulstrode. The two boys, their survival instincts well-honed by spending the past four or five years living in Slytherin House, hid their nervousness and acted appropriately flattered. Still behaving in a lordly fashion, Draco treated the whole table to a round of butterbeer.

"Poor Dylan," Millicent said, "stuck spending his holiday with Snape."

"Yeah, it's not so great being the teacher's pet sometimes," Damien agreed.

"We bought some candy for him at Honeydukes," Pansy said, "since he couldn't come to Hogsmeade with us."

Draco was starting to scowl, and the girls hastily began flattering him and flirting with him, and the smug smile returned to his face. Theodore's eyes narrowed slightly; he had noticed just a touch of fear in the girls' faces before they began simpering at Draco. Although they had always deferred to Draco, they had never seemed to be particularly intimidated by him before, but now it seemed that they, like almost everyone else in Slytherin House, were afraid of him. It was probably significant that their parents had been sympathizers of Voldemort's but had never actually joined the Death Eaters. Theodore glumly took a sip from his tankard as he wondered if this was a sign of how the war was going to go. How many of the pureblood families would rush to ingratiate themselves with the Dark Lord, how many would fight against him, and how many would simply stand by and wait, hoping to align themselves with the winning side? From what his parents had said, Theodore doubted that the Dark Lord would show much mercy to those who tried to remain neutral. "Famous Harry Potter" (as Snape sometimes sarcastically referred to him) had been hailed as the hero and savior of the wizarding world, but Theo didn't see how a teenaged boy could possibly be a match for the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. {If Potter's supposed to save us, then we're all dead,} Theodore thought gloomily. {He's not even that great a wizard; it's not like he's incompetent, but Malfoy, Granger, and even Blaise and I all outrank him in the class standings. Sure, he's a star Quidditch player, but I doubt that will be a lot of help on the battlefield...}

Meanwhile Dylan's friend Lisa Turpin was smiling and waving at Damien from a nearby table where the Ravenclaws were sitting. He grinned and walked over.

"Where's Dylan?" Lisa asked. "Didn't he come with you today?"

"No, didn't you hear?" Damien replied. "He's gone to run errands with Professor Snape in Diagon Alley; it's not like you can turn down a request from the Head of Slytherin House."

"What?" a horrified Padma Patil exclaimed. "He had to give up his Hogsmeade day to help Snape?! That's not fair!"

"Well, his mum revoked her Hogsmeade permission, so he'd be stuck at school, anyway..."

Draco frowned a little, and so did Pansy and Millicent, as Damien chatted and flirted with the two Ravenclaw girls. {Idiot!} Theodore thought. {Put a pretty girl in front of him and all the common sense flies right out of his head!} Draco laughed at a snide comment Pansy made about the Ravenclaws, and Theodore used that distraction to hiss in Blaise's ear, "Go get Pierce back here before Malfoy has a fit!" Blaise nodded and got up. Just then, the Gryffindors walked in, and Draco nodded at Crabbe and Goyle. The two boys grinned and sauntered across the room.

Crabbe accidentally-on-purpose bumped into Ron Weasley and spilled a tankard of butterbeer on him. "Oops, sorry," he said, in a tone that did not sound apologetic at all.

"Watch where you're going, you stupid git!" Weasley snapped.

"Why don't YOU watch where YOU'RE going, git!" Crabbe snapped back. Pretty soon Crabbe and Goyle were getting into a shoving match with the Gryffindor boys, and it looked to be escalating into a full-scale brawl. Hermione Granger was screeching at them to stop, but neither side paid her any heed. Alarmed, Hagrid and McGonagall, who had just walked in the door, hurried over to break up the scuffle.

Draco smiled triumphantly and grabbed Theodore's arm. "Come with me, Nott," he said, dragging him out the back entrance.

"B-but...we're not supposed to go out alone," Theodore protested weakly.

"We're Death Eaters, Nott," Malfoy said dismissively. "The rules don't apply to us."

{We're not Death Eaters yet,} Theodore thought, but did not contradict Draco out loud.

***

From the Ravenclaw table, Blaise saw them leave, and quietly slipped out after them.

***

Theodore reluctantly followed Draco out of the inn and down a narrow alley; at the end of the alley waited two cloaked and hooded figures. One of them threw back his hood, revealing long, white-blond hair.

"Dad!" Draco shouted, and ran forward to embrace his father.

"F-father," Theodore stammered, as the second figure pushed back his hood to reveal his face.

"Happy to see me, Theodore?" Thaddeus Nott said, the malicious glint in his eyes and the sneering twist to his lips as he smiled saying that he already knew the answer to that question.

"Delighted, Father," Theodore said, fighting to keep his voice and face expressionless.

Meanwhile, Lucius Malfoy patted his son on the back indulgently for a moment, then said in a cool voice, "Control yourself, my son. This is not fitting behavior for a young man of your rank."

"Y-yes, sir," Draco said, hastily releasing his father, and swiping at his eyes with the sleeve of his robe. Lucius frowned a little, and Draco quickly got himself under control. "I apologize, Father. I was just so happy to see you."

"Of course," Lucius said with a smile, and Draco looked relieved. "I am pleased to see you too, Draco, but a good Slytherin remains in control of his emotions at all times."

"Yes, sir," Draco said, schooling his face into a cool but respectful expression of attentiveness.

"And I am afraid we have little time to waste celebrating this reunion," Lucius continued. "I--"

"Caught this one snooping around," a third cloaked figure interrupted; Theodore recognized the voice as his father's friend, Andreas Avery. To his horror, Avery was dragging forward a very frightened-looking Blaise.

The other two men took out their wands. "We can't let anyone know we were seen here," said Lucius. "It's a pity, but we'll have to--"

"No," Theodore said, fighting to keep his voice cool and unconcerned. It would be very, very bad if either his father or Lucius Malfoy should discover how much he cared about Blaise. "He's a Slytherin, one of us; he's all right."

Lucius turned to Draco. "A friend of yours?"

Draco gave Theodore a quick, calculating look, then replied, "Yeah, sort of. He hangs around with Dylan and Theodore."

"What is your name, child?" Lucius asked, in a deceptively gentle voice, but his gray eyes were hard and cold.

"B-Blaise Z-Zabini, sir," Blaise stuttered.

"Zabini, hmm?" Lucius mused. "Once a proud and noble family, fallen on hard times. Do you know why, Blaise?"

"B-bad investments, my father said," Blaise replied hesitantly.

"They chose not to support us," Lucius said in a quiet and malevolent voice. "They chose not to support their rightful Lord, who would elevate the pureblood families to the greatness they deserve. Too soft, too afraid to get their hands dirty...are you wiser than your parents, Blaise? At least it seems that you have chosen to ally yourself with the proper friends..."

"Yes, sir," Blaise said quickly. He was no fool, he would tell Malfoy whatever he wanted to hear; Theodore just hoped that he could make it sound convincing. "I've tried to make the right friends." A note of contempt entered his voice as he added, "And stay away from all the Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers." Lucius Malfoy smiled approvingly. "I may be poor, but I am still a pureblood and a Slytherin," Blaise said proudly, holding his head up high. "I would never betray you; certainly not to the Gryffindors and their ilk."

Theodore was proud of him; he had set aside his fear and sounded almost as haughty and lordly as Draco did; even Draco looked a bit impressed.

Lucius laughed, but it was not a reassuring sound. "Almost, I believe you, child! But most people will say anything to save their lives."

"We should just kill him and be done with it," Theodore's father said impatiently. "We can't take the chance that he'll tell anyone he's seen us."

"Blaise can keep his mouth shut," Theodore said coolly. "I'll see to it. It would be far more suspicious if a student turned up missing or dead, so soon after your escape."

"He has a point, Thaddeus," Lucius conceded. "Draco? Can you control your...friend?"

{Please, Draco,} Theodore silently begged, although he forced his face to remain calm and expressionless. {Help me save Blaise and I'll do anything you want; I'll be your slave for life--just don't let them kill him!}

Perhaps Draco picked up on his unspoken plea; perhaps he was merely thinking that it could be useful for Blaise and Theodore to owe him a favor. But in any case, he answered, "Yes, Father. I am in control of Slytherin House, and Zabini will do what I tell him to. Isn't that right, Zabini?"

"Yes, Draco," Blaise replied meekly.

"I still think we should kill him, if you ask me," Thaddeus muttered.

"Well, I didn't ask your opinion, now did I?" Lucius snapped, then turned to Draco and Theodore. "I'm holding you two personally responsible for his behavior, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Father."

"Yes, sir."

"Still," Lucius said, "I think we should take some precautions, just to be on the safe side. A Memory Charm should suffice, I think. Will you do the honors, Thaddeus?"

"Obliviate!" Thaddeus Nott shouted, pointing his wand at Blaise before Theodore could object, and Blaise fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Is the spell supposed to knock him out like that?" Draco asked dubiously, looking down at his housemate with curiosity and just a touch of concern. "He's not going to go balmy like Lockhart, is he?"

"Subtlety is not your strong point, Thaddeus," Lucius said, frowning a little. "I merely wanted you to erase his memory of this meeting, not turn the boy into a vegetable."

"He'll be all right when he wakes up," Theodore's father said, unconcerned. "And if not, no big loss. He's only a Zabini, after all."

"The Zabinis were once accomplished wizards," Lucius said coldly. "The boy might yet turn out to have some talent, and if so, that talent should be put to good use on behalf of our Lord. I will be quite cross with you, Thaddeus, if you have wiped out his mind." Thaddeus scowled, but said nothing. "We should not linger any longer," Lucius said to his son. "Give this to your mother, and this to Professor Snape," he said, handing Draco two envelopes sealed with wax. "You are not under any circumstances to open them yourself, do you understand me, Draco?"

"Yes, sir," Draco said sullenly.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you to hand Snape's message to him in private. And don't send your mother's letter to her by owl; the Ministry will probably be monitoring the mail service. Hand it to her in person the next time she visits; Slytherin should have a Quidditch match coming up soon, anyway."

"Yes, Father."

"And this is for you," Lucius said with a smile, handing him a small, cloth-wrapped parcel. Draco folded back the cloth, revealing a small mirror in an ornate silver frame. "If I need to contact you, I'll do so through this mirror. Keep it in a safe place, and check regularly for messages from me."

"Yes, Father!" Draco said more enthusiastically, his sullen expression replaced by one of pride. He wrapped the mirror back up and tucked it into a pocket on the inside of his robes. "Can I use it to contact you, too?"

"It only works one way," Lucius replied, a stern look on his face. "I will be very busy in our Master's service, and I can't have you bothering me with trivial matters." Draco's expression turned a little sulky. "And besides, it's safer if I contact you. It might be dangerous if you tried to disturb me while I am in the middle of...ah...a sensitive operation."

"Yes, Father," Draco said, looking placated, if not exactly happy about it.

Lucius gave Blaise's unconscious form one last, thoughtful look. "And I want you to keep an eye on the children from the lower houses, those who still have pure blood, but little wealth or influence; we may find some talented recruits eager to advance themselves. The Dark Lord will reward those who serve him well, and there will be many estates up for grabs once we get rid of all the Muggle-lovers."

"Yes, Father!" Draco said eagerly, looking proud once again.

"Don't mention the Death Eaters by name," Lucius cautioned, but he looked amused. "Just hint; that will be enough. I merely want to take note of who might be useful to our cause. And it would be helpful if you could get an idea of which families will support our Lord and which will side with Dumbledore or try to play neutral."

"You can count on me, Dad!"

"Very well," Lucius said. "Give my regards to your mother. If all goes well, soon I can come out of hiding and take my rightful place once more."

"Yes, Father," Draco said, practically glowing with happiness and pride.

"You go ahead, Lucius," Thaddeus said. "I'll be along in a minute; I'd like a word with my son in private."

Lucius nodded, smiling a little at the terrified expression on Theodore's face, then Disapparated. Avery grinned maliciously. "Tell Serafina that her daddy will be back home soon," he said, "and I'll expect her to behave like a dutiful daughter. She cannot hide from me, nor from her duty to our Master." Then he too vanished.

"Why don't you head back to the inn, Draco?" Thaddeus said, a polite smile--which looked strained and not very sincere--fixed on his face. "Theodore will be along shortly."

Draco hesitated for a moment, then shrugged and left, saying, "I'll see you back at the inn, then, Nott."

As soon as they were alone, Thaddeus reached out and grabbed his son's right wrist, gripping it so tightly that Theodore winced in pain and bit his lip to keep from crying out. "You can scream if you like, Theodore," Thaddeus said with a nasty smile. "We've cast a brief spell of obscurement on this corner of the alley to prevent anyone from seeing or overhearing us. Unfortunately for your little friend, Andreas was keeping a lookout and must have felt he was getting a little too close for comfort." He leaned close and hissed into his son's ear, "If you ever make me look bad in front of Lucius Malfoy again, you will be very sorry, Theodore!" Still gripping Theodore's wrist, he pulled out his wand with his free hand and whispered a brief incantation.

Suddenly it felt to Theodore as if his father's hand around his wrist was not made of flesh and bone but red-hot iron. He screamed out loud as his father's touch seared his wrist, seeming to burn right through the skin and down to the bone. He struggled to break free, but Thaddeus only tightened his grip and the pain increased, until Theodore was forced to his knees, his vision blurry in a haze of pain, not sure whether his father intended to snap his wrist and break the bones, or burn right through them. Both, maybe...

Finally, Thaddeus released his son, who collapsed in a trembling heap at his feet. "Not acting so big now that your friend Draco's not here to protect you, are you?" he sneered. He kicked Theodore hard in the side, but the pain in Theo's wrist was so bad that he barely noticed. "If you ever defy me again, I will do far worse to you, understand?"

"Yes, Father," Theodore groaned, clutching his wrist.

"And you will do your duty," Thaddeus continued in a menacing tone. "You will serve the Dark Lord one way or another--as a Death Eater or as a sacrifice, do you understand me, Theodore?"

"Yes, Father," Theodore whispered. The elder Nott must have been satisfied with his response, because when he looked up again, his father was gone. He pulled up his sleeve and saw a bright red handprint circling his wrist; it was still smarting painfully, but hopefully there would be no permanent damage. He heard Blaise groan, then quickly pulled his sleeve back down. "Blaise?" he asked anxiously. "Are you all right?"

Blaise sat up, blinking, an unfocused look in his eyes. "Theo?"

"You know who I am!" Theodore said in relief.

Blaise smiled, looking a little confused. "Of course I know who you are. You're Theodore, my friend." He giggled. "My boyfriend!"

Theodore's relief was short-lived; Blaise never giggled, and his eyes had never looked that vacuous before.

"Where are we?" Blaise asked, looking around. "What happened?"

"We're in Hogsmeade," Theodore answered. "You, um, fell and hit your head. You might be a little dazed."

"Oh," Blaise said, frowning and rubbing his head. "Why aren't we in school?"

"It's Halloween," Theodore reminded him, his spirits sinking further.

"Oh," Blaise repeated, still looking confused.

"Come on," Theodore said. "Let's get back to the inn." He helped Blaise to his feet, and his friend followed him willingly enough back to The Three Broomsticks. {Merlin, I hope the spell wears off like it's supposed to!}

When they got back to the inn, the Gryffindors were looking sufficiently chastened as McGonagall glowered at them. Crabbe and Goyle looked a little sullen; they shot Draco an "I hope that was worth it" look, and Draco grinned and gave them a thumbs-up when the teachers' backs were turned.

McGonagall frowned at Theodore and Blaise when she spotted them. "Where have you been, Mr. Nott, Mr. Zabini? You know you're not supposed to go out without a chaperone."

"I'm sorry, Professor," Theodore said. "We didn't really leave," he lied. "We were right out back." He was about to say that Blaise had been feeling sick and needed some fresh air, but he didn't want her looking too closely at Blaise, who was still looking a little puzzled, but at least he remained quiet and said nothing to contradict Theodore. Then he thought of a better excuse and said, "We didn't want to get caught up in the fight. The Gryffindors are always blaming the Slytherins for everything--"

"Your lot started it!" Weasley protested, then fell silent as McGonagall glared at him.

"And I didn't want to get detention," Theodore finished virtuously. "So I thought it would be better to slip out behind the inn till the fuss died down."

McGonagall gave him a suspicious look, but chose not to challenge his story. "I think it is time we all returned to the school," she said, and the students groaned. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws shot resentful looks at the Gryffindors and Slytherins for cutting their trip short. Theodore was all too relieved to go back.

***

Dylan returned to his dorm to find the common room full of sulky-looking students. He found Damien in their dorm room and asked, "Why's everyone look so glum?"

"Oh, McGonagall cut the trip short because Crabbe and Goyle started a fight with the Gryffindors," he replied.

"Oh? What did Malfoy have to say about that?"

Damien frowned. "Nothing. Come to think of it, I'd have expected him to be egging them on but I didn't see him around till it was over...and Theo and Blaise slipped off during the fight, too. Theo told McGonagall they hid out back because they didn't want to get drawn into the fight." He laughed nervously. "Maybe they were just having a little snog in the alley."

"Probably," Dylan agreed with a grin, although he knew better, and he suspected Damien did, too. Crabbe and Goyle were usually acting on Draco's orders when they made trouble, and if Draco wasn't around, that probably meant they had started the fight to provide a distraction so their leader could sneak off. To try and contact the Death Eaters? But Theo didn't want Blaise involved with the Death Eaters, and Draco wouldn't trust Blaise to come along on such an errand. Maybe they had been up to simple schoolboy mischief, or maybe Draco had gone off on his mysterious errand by himself, and Theo and Blaise had merely taken advantage of the distraction to spend some time alone together. But that didn't make sense either; they shared a dorm room, after all, and that provided much more privacy than Hogsmeade...

Attempting to change the subject, Dylan handed Damien his purchases from the Weasleys' store. "One Skiving Snackbox and one box of Ton Tongue Toffees as requested," he said lightly.

"Thanks!" Damien said. "Did you have to sneak off to get these?"

"No," Dylan grinned. "Snape let me go there."

"What?!"

"The Headmaster forced Snape to take Lupin along, and Lupin wanted to stop there. Snape was not happy about it, but apparently he was ordered not to let Lupin go off on his own; Dumbledore's afraid of anti-non-human sentiment or something."

"Hmm, tensions are running a bit high," Damien said. "But I would think that Lupin could take care of himself."

"But it would look bad for a werewolf to attack someone, even in self-defense," Dylan pointed out. "Nobody gave him a hard time, though, at least that I noticed."

"It would take a braver man than me to attack someone Snape is bodyguarding," Damien said fervently, and Dylan laughed. "I bet Snape must have just loved being assigned as Lupin's keeper!"

"Oh yes," Dylan said, rolling his eyes. "They fought during the entire carriage ride to Diagon Alley. Or at least, Snape fought with him. Lupin never really fights back. He just smiles and says--" Dylan imitated the exaggeratedly cheerful tone Lupin always used with Snape. "--'Yes, Severus,' or 'Is that so, Severus?' or 'Isn't it a nice day, Severus?'"

"Yeah, that always seems to drive Snape nuts," Damien laughed. "You poor thing, being stuck with them all day!"

"Well, it wasn't so bad," Dylan said. "He calmed down a little after we went to the Apothecary--they had some rare ingredients he wanted--and Lupin treated us to sundaes at Fortescue's. Oh, and by the way, be careful about using those Skiving Snackbox sweets; Snape picked up a box to give to Madam Pomfrey so she can tell when the students are faking their illnesses." He laughed as Damien groaned.

"Well, I suppose I can still use the Toffees on Doherty," he grumbled. "How much do I owe you?"

"My treat," Dylan replied.

"Really? Thanks! Oh, and Malfoy picked up this for you at Honeydukes." Damien handed Dylan the box of fudge.

"Wow, I thought he'd just pick me up a candy bar if he remembered to get me anything at all," Dylan said, surprised and a little impressed by the huge box of candy. "Want some?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Damien said with a grin, helping himself to the fudge. "Oh, and the girls all felt sorry for you, being stuck with Snape on a holiday, so I'm sure you'll get a ton of candy from them, too."

"We should share some with Theo and Blaise," Dylan said.

"They're in their room right now," Damien said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "They might not want to be interrupted. Actually, Theo said Blaise wasn't feeling well."

"What happened? Is he sick?"

"I dunno," Damien replied, "but he seemed a little out of it. Too much candy and butterbeer, maybe."

"Maybe," Dylan agreed, although it was out of character for Blaise to eat himself sick--Crabbe and Goyle, maybe, but not Blaise.

Later, before dinner, Draco pulled Dylan aside and spoke to him privately. "My dad contacted me at Hogsmeade!" he whispered triumphantly. "He said he won't have to be hiding much longer!"

"That's great!" Dylan said, feigning enthusiasm. If it seemed a bit forced, Draco didn't seem to notice.

"Isn't it, though?" Draco said smugly. Dylan was about to ask him if Theodore had been with him at the time, but Draco hurried off to catch up with Crabbe and Goyle. "Come on, Rosier!" he called. "We don't want to be late for the feast, and we have a lot to celebrate today!"

Dylan was about to follow Draco to the Great Hall when he spotted Theodore and Blaise. "Theo!" he said. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" It would be much safer to ask Theodore than Draco, anyway.

"Not now, Dylan," Theodore said impatiently. "We'll be late for dinner." Blaise smiled at Dylan, though his eyes looked slightly dazed and unfocused.

"Okay," Dylan said. "But after dinner--?"

"Dylan!" Pansy squealed. She and Millicent and some of the other girls came running up, practically shoving Theodore and Blaise aside. "We felt bad that you couldn't come to Hogsmeade, so we got you some candy."

"Thank you so much," he said smiling at the girls, who giggled and fluttered their eyelashes at him.

"Come on," Theodore said, "we're going to be late. Oh, damn it!"

"What's wrong?" Dylan asked.

"Where did Blaise go?" Theodore asked, looking around almost frantically.

"He probably just went on ahead," Pansy said, unconcerned.

"What's wrong, Theo?" Dylan asked, frowning a little. It wasn't like Blaise couldn't find his way to the Great Hall alone...

"Nothing," Theodore replied nonchalantly, but his eyes still looked worried. "It's just, he's feeling sick, and he's a bit, um, disoriented."

"I'll help you find him," Dylan volunteered. The girls pouted. "We'll be along in a minute," he said, and winked at them flirtatiously. "You'll save me a seat, won't you?"

"Of course!" the girls chorused happily, and hurried off, arguing over who was going to get to sit next to Dylan.

Theodore hurried down the corridor in the opposite direction, and Dylan followed, asking, "What's wrong? If he's that sick, shouldn't he go to the hospital wing?"

"Just shut up and help me find him!" Theodore snapped, but Dylan was more worried than offended, because Theodore looked more scared than angry. They continued searching the dungeon in silence.

***

Snape was almost sorry when the carriage arrived at Hogwarts. Dylan awoke with a start, looking startled and embarrassed to find himself leaning on his teacher's shoulder. "The Thestrals made a sudden turn," Snape lied, "and sent you sliding into me." Well, it was not exactly a lie, but a bit of an exaggeration, and he acted as if it had just happened a minute ago, rather than at the beginning of the trip. Snape had always been a master of the half-truth; he had gained plenty of practice at it during his long tenure as a spy.

"Oh," Dylan said, flushing slightly. "Sorry, sir."

"No problem, Rosier," Snape replied indulgently, and the boy smiled at him. He nudged Lupin, who was still fast asleep. "Lupin." Lupin stirred, muttered something unintelligible, and snuggled closer against Snape. Dylan giggled, then quickly covered his mouth with his hand as Snape glared at him. "Lupin! Wake up, we're back at Hogwarts!"

"Huh?" Lupin said, blinking sleepily. "Oh." He yawned and stretched, then smiled. "Too bad, I was kind of enjoying myself."

"Go enjoy yourself in your own bed, Lupin," Snape said sourly.

"Only if you join me there," Lupin said archly.

"LUPIN!" Snape howled, as Dylan tried to stifle his laughter.

Snape kept up his scowl until he reached his office, then allowed himself to grin. The thought of Lupin in his bed--or himself in Lupin's--was definitely something to look forward to. Yes, despite the encounter with his mother, it had been a very good day. He was looking forward to enjoying the Halloween feast, and then spending the night with Lupin.

So of course fate had to ruin his good mood and all his plans.

First, McGonagall showed up, informing him of how his students had been involved in a brawl with the Gryffindors. "Yes, yes, I'll give Crabbe and Goyle detention," he sighed.

McGonagall was not pleased with what she called his "cavalier attitude." "You need to take these things more seriously, Severus," she scolded. "We don't need the students getting into fights at a time like this--"

Finally he got rid of her, promising to sentence Crabbe and Goyle to bedpan-scrubbing, and to give them "a stern talking-to" (as McGonagall put it). He began putting away his newly-purchased potion ingredients; the Runespoor eggs were a real find. They were used in potions to enhance mental ability, and he had to start a new batch of Mind Restoration Potion soon. He could make the potion without them, but the eggs could be used as a substitute for the dragon's blood, and were in fact much more effective. Well, not that he really cared whether Gilbert Donner had all his wits about him or not, but Snape did enjoy getting his hands on such a rare ingredient, and he did enjoy a challenge. He could have Dylan help him with the potion again; it was too bad that he couldn't enlist Granger's aid without arousing suspicion among his Slytherins...

Just as his mood was starting to improve, Draco Malfoy showed up bearing a message from his father. He looked even more smug than usual as he explained how he had met Lucius in Hogsmeade. {Ah, that explains the fight Crabbe and Goyle started,} Snape thought to himself sourly. He took the letter and dismissed the boy, who looked disappointed that Snape wasn't going to share the contents of it with him, but left without complaint. He broke the seal and read the terse note:

"Expect a summons tonight after dinner. Bring the boy."

Snape sighed and tossed the note into the fireplace. {So much for a romantic evening with Lupin,} he thought regretfully. And it also meant that he would have to put Dylan in danger again. He locked his office door, cast a silence spell on the room, and contacted Lupin and Branwen through the fireplace.

"I don't like this," Lupin said, looking worried.

"Nor I," Branwen said. "I don't think it's a coincidence that he's summoning his Death Eaters on All Hallows Eve; it's a prime time to work Dark Magic..."

"Do you think he might be planning to work some sort of spell?" Lupin asked.

"I have no idea," Snape said. "I hope he just wants to welcome his newly-freed Death Eaters back to the flock, but it's not like I have a choice. It's either show up tonight with Dylan or break my cover. I'd leave Rosier at home if I could, but no Death Eater can defy the Dark Lord's orders and expect to live."

"You're right," Branwen agreed, frowning. "Now is not the time to make the break. Apart from your own safety, it would be dangerous for Dylan to be branded as a traitor while he's still living in Slytherin House."

Lupin sighed unhappily, but didn't argue. "Shall we wait for you at Sirius's house as we did before, then?"

"Yes," Snape replied. "I hope it will be unnecessary, but better safe than sorry, as the saying goes."

Branwen left, and Lupin embraced Snape before departing through the fireplace as well. "I'll be waiting for you, Severus. No matter what happens."

"I love you, Remus," Snape whispered; he always said those words to Lupin before he left to answer a summons, because he knew all too well that it might be the last chance he would ever have to say them. "I'll come back to you," he added, hoping that Voldemort would not make him into a liar.

"I love you, Severus," Lupin replied softly, though he still looked anxious, then left.

Snape brooded alone in his office until it was almost time for dinner, then sighed and got up to leave. He gathered up some graded papers and supplies, deciding to drop them off in his classroom before heading to the Great Hall.

***

Theodore heard a startled exclamation from the direction of Snape's office, and he and Dylan hurried around the corner to find an irritated Snape looking down at some scattered rolls of parchment and paper-wrapped parcels, as well as Blaise, who lay sprawled out on the floor at Snape's feet.

"Watch where you're going, Zabini!" the Potions Master snapped.

"Sorry, Professor," Blaise replied, smiling up at him cheerfully. Snape blinked in surprise. "Am I late for class?"

Snape's expression changed from irritation to concern. "Are you feeling all right, Mr. Zabini?"

Theodore hurried forward and pulled Blaise to his feet. "He's a little under the weather, sir, but he's fine. He, uh, just had too much candy at Hogsmeade." Well, that was a pretty lame excuse, but if he went with the "Blaise fell and hit his head" story, Snape would want to send Blaise to the hospital wing, and Madam Pomfrey would be able to tell that he was suffering from a Memory Charm, not a concussion.

"Too much candy gives you a stomachache; it doesn't make you forget what day it is," Snape said sharply. He turned his gaze on Dylan, who shrugged. Snape looked back at Blaise. "What happened, Mr. Zabini? Are you ill?"

"I don't know," Blaise replied, still smiling up at Snape vaguely. "I don't remember."

Snape's eyes widened, and he leaned down to look at Blaise more closely, then cursed under his breath. "Mr. Rosier," he said in that curt, implacable tone that all the Slytherins knew better than to argue with, "take Mr. Zabini to the hospital wing and tell Madam Pomfrey that I believe he's suffering from the effects of a Memory Charm. Tell her I'll explain later."

"Yes, sir," Dylan said, and took Blaise by the arm and hurried off.

"Well, I'd better go with them," Theodore said hastily.

"Not so fast, Mr. Nott," Snape snapped, and grabbed him by the wrist as he started to back away. Theodore cried out in pain before he could stop himself.

Snape looked startled, and loosened his grip a little, though he did not let go of Theodore. "In my office, Nott," he said, and dragged a miserable Theodore back to his office. Snape closed and locked the door behind them, then pushed back the sleeve of Theodore's robe. Theodore heard a sharp hiss of surprise as Snape caught sight of the handprint burned into his wrist. "Who did this to you?" Snape asked, sounding angry--and concerned?

Theodore looked up, and to his amazement saw that yes, there was concern in Snape's black eyes. "I--I can't tell you," he stammered, turning pale.

He waited for Snape to berate him, but the Potions Master only frowned and looked thoughtful. "Never mind," he said. "I can guess. It was your father, wasn't it?" Theodore remained silent, but began to tremble. "You and Malfoy slipped off at Hogsmeade to meet your fathers. And..." Snape's eyes narrowed. "...Mr. Zabini must have followed you, and they cast the Memory Charm on him to make him forget what he'd seen."

Theodore just stared back at him in terror, not sure whether he should confirm or deny that guess--that very accurate guess. Snape was a Death Eater, but Theodore suspected his father would still be angry if he talked about what had happened in the alley.

***

Snape frowned at the boy trembling in front of him. He had a choice to make; he could play it safe, do nothing, and keep his cover--and continue to let Theodore be abused by his father and eventually be drawn into the Death Eaters. Or he could try to help the boy, but his cover would be at risk if the Death Eaters found out, because no true Death Eater would interfere in such a matter; in the eyes of most purebloods, a child was the property of his family, and they could treat him however they pleased. And while a few of the Death Eaters, such as Narcissa Malfoy, might love their own children, they were not likely to be very concerned about someone else's.

If it was only his safety at stake, Snape would not have hesitated to take the risk, but Lupin and Dylan might be endangered as well if his loyalty should become suspect. But he knew what Lupin and Dylan would want him to do, and in the end, he didn't really have a choice: he had promised himself that he would protect his Slytherin students; if he stood by and did nothing, he would be no better than Professor De Lacy, the former Head of Slytherin, who had let Voldemort take his students without resistance.

"Come here, Nott," Snape said, motioning for Theodore to step forward; the boy nervously obeyed. Snape took a jar of healing salve down from a shelf behind his desk and applied the salve to the boy's wrist. Theodore relaxed a little as the pain eased, and looked just a little less frightened. Snape put the cap back on the jar and handed it to Theodore, saying, "Here, you might as well keep this. Apply it as often as you need to in order to keep the pain down; about three times daily, I should think, but you can come back for more if you need it. I think the burn should fade in about a week, and the salve will keep it from scarring."

"Thank you, sir," Theodore said, sounding grateful if puzzled.

"Has he done this to you before?" Snape asked. The boy remained silent, but the look in his eyes was answer enough. Maybe not this particular hex, but Snape was sure that Thaddeus Nott had abused his son in the past. "You'll be safe here at Hogwarts," Snape said. "I'll find some excuse to keep you from going on any further Hogsmeade outings--detention, perhaps." Theodore looked as though he didn't know whether to be grateful or offended, and then looked shocked as Snape smiled just the slightest bit. "Or perhaps I'll have you assist me on a special project."

Theodore shook his head. "No, that might make Draco jealous," he pointed out. Snape nodded in approval; the boy was intelligent and sensible. "I don't really mind getting detention," he said, watching Snape warily, "but the Christmas holidays are coming up in a couple of months, and I'll have to go back home then, anyway, so I don't know how much good that will do..."

"Thaddeus would be a fool to return home," Snape said. "I'm sure the Aurors are keeping a close watch on all the escaped Death Eaters' residences. But just in case, I'll tell your mother that I want you to stay at school this Christmas. It's not too early to prepare for your N.E.W.T.s."

"My mother's not the one you need to worry about," Theodore muttered sullenly.

"I will convince your parents," Snape said. "Both of them. I think, in these uncertain times, perhaps it might be wise to keep my flock of Slytherins close at hand...the populace is uneasy, and the Aurors are nervous and trigger-happy; perhaps I will recommend that all my students stay back at Hogwarts this year."

"Why are you helping me?" Theodore whispered, apparently afraid of trusting Snape; Snape was not surprised. A child with an upbringing such as Theodore's would be wise to trust no one, but that did make things more difficult for Snape. "My father...he's one of you..."

"I might be a Death Eater," Snape said, and Theodore gasped out loud; he knew that Snape was a Death Eater, of course, but Snape never spoke openly of it, not even to the children of his supposed comrades. "However," Snape continued, "I am also your teacher and Head of House, and I am responsible for your safety and well-being." Theodore did not look convinced. Snape hesitated, then made a second difficult decision, and said softly, "Besides, my father was a great deal like yours."

"He was?" Theodore asked, suspicion warring with curiosity and hope--no, more desperation than hope--in his eyes. He might be a cynical, distrustful child, but he was still a child, and like most children, he wanted an adult to protect him and make everything all right. As a Death Eater's child, he knew that was unlikely to happen, but some almost instinctive, childish impulse in him made him long for it all the same; Snape knew, because it was that same impulse that had led him to trust the Headmaster as a lonely, wary young boy--at least to a certain extent.

"Yes," Snape replied, gazing directly into Theodore's dark, almost murky, green eyes. "My father used the Cruciatus Curse on a regular basis to punish me when I misbehaved." Theodore gasped again. "Of course," Snape said with a bitter little smile, "he did not use it often, because I soon learned not to misbehave, but from time to time, he found an excuse to use it on me. He never did so for no reason, I must admit, but I think he enjoyed it." Theodore was staring at him in shock and horror, and Snape, making an educated guess based on the resentment Theodore held towards his mother, added, "And my mother did nothing to stop him."

The look in Theodore's eyes--hurt, bewilderment, resentment--told him he had guessed correctly. "She never tried to stop him, not once," Theodore whispered sullenly. "She's too scared of him herself." He timidly asked Snape, "Was...was your mother afraid of your father, too?"

"No," Snape replied quietly. "That, perhaps, I might have forgiven. No, she simply didn't care; she didn't think he was doing anything wrong." He mockingly echoed Selima Snape's words: "It is a father's duty to punish his children when they misbehave."

Theodore smiled bitterly. "I still think cowardice is worse," he whispered, "but then, I'm a coward, too. Serafina at least had the guts to hex her father when he hurt her."

"Andreas Avery is at heart a coward," Snape said coolly. "I wouldn't advise hexing your father, Theodore; he would most likely kill you--if you were lucky."

A little suspicion crept back into Theodore's eyes. "Why didn't you help Sera, if you're so concerned about us?"

"Miss Avery was not my student back then," Snape pointed out. "But I knew what was going on," he admitted, as guilt prodded his conscience. It was not easy, confessing his sins to a sixteen year old boy, but he knew that this was his best and perhaps only chance to win Theodore's trust, and the boy was too clever and cynical to be appeased by evasive answers or glib excuses. "Cowardice is a common commodity, it seems," he said, his lips twisting in a mirthless smile. "I will not lie to you, Theodore. I could not help Serafina directly, nor can I help you directly, by openly opposing your father, for fear of offending my fellow Death Eaters. The best I can do is to shield you by directing his attention elsewhere."

Theodore was silent for a long moment, then seemed to come to a decision of his own. "That's still more than anyone else has ever done for me," he said. "I'll take you up on your offer to keep me at school during the holidays, sir. Thank you." He began to look nervous again. "But I'll have to leave for the summer..."

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," Snape sighed; he could not hide the boy from his parents indefinitely. "Perhaps I might be able to find you an overseas summer study program." Maybe he could send Theodore to Kamiyama for the summer, if he could convince Thaddeus that the boy would be learning some useful Dark Magic spells. Then again, maybe the Dark Lord would have killed them all by then, making the whole point moot...from the grim look on Theodore's face, the same thought had probably occurred to him.

"Yes, sir," the boy said solemnly.

"Very well," Snape said. "Go to dinner, and tell your classmates that Mr. Zabini is ill."

"Yes, sir. What...what will you tell Madam Pomfrey?"

"That it was a juvenile prank that got out of hand."

Theodore hesitated at the door. "Professor?"

"Yes?"

He hesitated again, looking pale and fearful, but finally he said, "Lucius Malfoy and my father wanted to kill Blaise when they caught him."

"What?!" Snape exclaimed. In hindsight, he was not really surprised, but Zabini had come back safely, if with his wits slightly addled. "What changed their minds?"

"I...I told them that it would be too suspicious if a student suddenly died or went missing," Theodore said.

"You are correct," Snape said approvingly. "Lucius at least should have realized that. Clever lad."

Theodore looked startled, but gave him a very small and tentative smile. Snape recognized that look, too; he remembered being a young student at Hogwarts, wanting to trust the people who reached out to him--Dumbledore, Professor Blackmore, and Lupin--but never quite daring to trust them completely. He was a little surprised that Theodore had decided to trust him--however tentatively--so quickly, but maybe the boy was less hardened than Snape had been at that age--or possibly just more desperate.

"My father still wanted to kill Blaise," Theodore said, his dark eyes a little frantic. "But Mr. Malfoy overruled him."

{Desperation, then,} Snape decided. {He wants to save his friend, and he's willing to go out on a limb to do it.} Good; if he could feel compassion, then he was not as far down the road to becoming a Death Eater as Draco was.

"I told him Blaise wouldn't betray them, and Draco backed me up," Theodore said, looking a little surprised.

"Really?" Snape said. "Hmm..." Maybe there was more to Draco than he had thought...

"He said that he was in control of Slytherin House--" Theodore cast a nervous look at his teacher. "--and that Blaise would do whatever he said."

Well, that sounded more in character, but still, Snape was surprised that Draco would go out of his way to help the Zabini boy, even if he was one of Draco's housemates.

"Please," Theodore begged, "you'll protect Blaise, won't you? You won't let them kill him?"

"So long as Lucius and the others believe that the Memory Charm was effective, they have no reason to harm him, but I'll keep a very close eye on Mr. Zabini," Snape promised. "I think he had best stay at Hogwarts for the rest of the school year with you, just to be on the safe side. If Blaise's memory does start to return, make sure he keeps quiet about it, and let me know." Snape's eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to him. "Is that why your father hexed you? Because you argued with him about killing Zabini?"

"Yes, sir," Theodore mumbled, staring at his feet.

"Did Lucius say anything else to Draco about Zabini?" Snape asked. "To keep an eye on him, perhaps?" He was worried that Lucius might try to have the boy eliminated if he showed signs of regaining his memory.

"He...he told Draco to keep an eye on the children of the lower houses, people like Blaise who have pure blood but not much else. He wants to tempt them into joining the Death Eaters eventually."

"WHAT?!" Snape roared, and the boy jumped. He quickly got himself under control again, but inside he was furious. {How dare he! How dare he send his son to recruit MY students right under my nose--} Then fury was replaced by fear. Snape was the logical person to begin recruiting the students, as a Death Eater and the Head of Slytherin; if Lucius was assigning that task to Draco without consulting him, then did that mean he suspected something? Then again, perhaps Lucius was only indulging Draco and letting him feel important, or perhaps recruiting the students was one of the things they would discuss at the meeting tonight. He didn't know what would be worse: having his loyalty suspect, or being ordered to begin recruiting his students as a loyal Death Eater. Because if he was so ordered, then his loyalty would soon become suspect if it hadn't been already, because there was no way he was going to hand his students over to the Dark Lord.

"I am Head of Slytherin," Snape said coldly. "I should have been informed of this first." Let Theodore think he was angry mainly because of ego and botched protocol; if the boy did not quite trust him yet, neither did he completely trust the boy. He didn't think that Theodore would betray him out of malice, but he might do it out of fear, if pressed hard enough.

"I'm sorry, sir," Theodore said, cringing a little.

"Never mind," Snape sighed. "It's not your fault."

"Sir," Theodore said nervously, "Blaise won't betray us, but he...he's not...I don't..."

"But he's not cut out to be a Death Eater," Snape finished. "I know." Theodore was still staring at him anxiously. "I'll protect him."

"Thank you," Theodore said, his eyes filled with relief.

"Just make sure that he does nothing to arouse Draco's suspicions."

"Yes, sir! Don't worry, sir, I'll see that he doesn't."

"And Nott?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Not a word to your father about all this."

"No, sir!" Theodore said fervently.

"It's a delicate situation," Snape continued. "I'll have to handle it carefully. And I'm sure you'd prefer that I kept your name out of it, in any case."

"Yes, sir!"

"Come to me if you hear anything more from your father or his companions."

"Yes, sir."

Snape hesitated; he had risked this much--a little more wouldn't hurt. Hopefully. "Or if you hear any...ah...interesting gossip from your friend Draco," he added.

"Yes, sir," Theodore replied readily.

"Very well, run along, then."

***

Theodore prayed that he wasn't making a big mistake by trusting Snape, but it wasn't like he had much choice; there was no one else he could turn to. He didn't trust the Headmaster, however kindly he acted, because everyone knew that the Gryffindors in general and Harry Potter in particular were his pets. The memory of the House Cup being stolen from Slytherin and handed to Gryffindor after they had won it fair and square in first year still rankled a bit. {Well, maybe not "fair and square,"} Theodore admitted to himself, {but still...} It was not so much the Gryffindors' victory that bothered him, but the way it had been done: the Headmaster had not awarded Potter and his little friends their extra points before the feast but during it, after Slytherin had already been proclaimed the victor, humiliating them in front of the entire school by snatching away their prize and handing it to Gryffindor. Oh, Theodore believed that if he gave the Headmaster information about the Death Eaters he would act on it, but he was afraid that Dumbledore would be more concerned with catching the Death Eaters than protecting Blaise. After all, what was one unimportant Slytherin boy in the grand scheme of things? Theodore had read his history books and he knew that in war, individual lives were sometimes sacrificed for the greater good. Theodore didn't care about the greater good; all he wanted to do was save Blaise.

Lupin might be willing to help him; he seemed genuinely concerned about protecting all his students, even the Slytherins, but however good a mage he was, he was not powerful enough to stand up to the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters alone. No, it would have to be Snape. As a Death Eater, Snape could steer his comrades' attention away from Blaise without drawing suspicion. Maybe he could even keep Theodore's father away from him, at least for awhile. But he was aware that he could not avoid his father forever. He could endure his father's cruelty; he had done so for the past sixteen years, after all, but things were different now that the Dark Lord had returned. The stakes were higher now--as his father had pointed out, the only options he had were to become a Death Eater or to become a sacrifice.

For the first time he wondered just how loyal a Death Eater Snape really was. Of course, this could all be a trick; Snape might be pretending sympathy to gain his confidence, then turn around and tell Thaddeus Nott about his wayward son, but somehow Theodore didn't think so. He believed the story Snape had told him about how his own father had punished him with the Cruciatus Curse; there had been real bitterness, anger, and shame in his eyes as he spoke. It was mostly the shame that convinced Theodore that Snape was telling the truth, because only someone who had actually been through what they had would understand the shame of being too weak and afraid to fight back. So...Snape might be helping him because he identified with Theodore somehow? It sounded ludicrous, yet Theodore believed it. That didn't necessarily mean that Snape wasn't also a loyal Death Eater, but it was very rare for a Death Eater to show compassion to another person, at least one outside of his immediate family--and sometimes not even then, as Theodore knew all too well. And Snape was willing to deceive, or at least mislead, his fellow Death Eaters in order to protect Theodore and Blaise.

His parents had known Snape for years, and Theodore had been his student for over five years, but he still knew little about the man, and nothing about why he had joined the Death Eaters. He knew that Snape, who was several years younger than his parents, had officially joined the Death Eaters shortly after graduating from Hogwarts, and had supposedly reformed and switched sides after the Dark Lord fell--as most of the Death Eaters had, in order to save their lives and their freedom. He had returned to the Dark Lord's side along with the other Death Eaters, but who was Snape--a loyal Death Eater, who had been biding his time until his Lord returned? Someone who had gotten in over his head as a youth, who perhaps now regretted joining the Death Eaters but was too afraid to back out? Or...could it be that he really had reformed and was still loyal to Dumbledore? But then that would mean... Theodore shook his head. It was difficult to believe, despite Dumbledore's oft-professed belief in second chances. He could not believe that Dumbledore trusted Snape as much as claimed to, and he could not believe that anyone would be brave enough and foolish enough to betray the Dark Lord.

{I don't want to know,} Theodore decided. It was not safe to speculate about such things; let Snape's reasons remain a secret. He would not question them, so long as Snape continued to help him.

He and Dylan came down to dinner late; they explained that Blaise was feeling sick and had been sent to the hospital wing by Snape. Draco just grinned knowingly, looking quite smug. Serafina gave him a hard, penetrating stare with her blue-violet eyes, then looked away, but it reminded him of the message he was supposed to pass on from her father. He lingered behind and pulled her down a side corridor as they headed back to their dorm. "I have a message for you," he whispered. "Your father is back, and he says he expects you to be a dutiful daughter."

She jerked her arm free from his grasp, and a hint of rare emotion--contempt--filled her eyes. "Fine," she said curtly. "You've given me your message. Now leave me alone."

"Do you think I like this?" Theodore hissed at her. "I don't have a choice, and neither do you! Your father said you can't hide from him or from your duty to 'our Master.'"

Then Serafina looked weary, and almost sad. "I know, Theodore," she said quietly. "I know there's no hiding from it. From them." She started to turn away, then paused and asked, "So do you intend to do your duty, Theo?"

"What other choice is there?" Theodore asked despairingly.

"I don't know," Serafina replied with that same look of weary sorrow, then turned and headed back to the dorm.

Part 20